The information came from Kuwait’s Interior Ministry, which identified the leader of the group as a 45-year-old Lebanese national, Osama Khayat. The ringleader was detained first and gave up the information about the rest of the members during interrogation, the ministry said in a statement. Six members were arrested but four others, including Australian-Lebanese nationals, remain on the run abroad.
The cell was involved in making arms deals on behalf of the ISIL terrorist group leaders in Syria, including acquiring Ukrainian-made FN-6 portable air defense systems and other weaponry, according to the information provided by Khayat.
The details of the deal revealed that the Ukrainian-made weapons were first shipped to Turkey and they smuggled into Syria, the Kuwait news agency KUNA cited the statement as saying.
During questioning, Khayat also admitted to transferring money to Turkish bank accounts as well as spreading ISIS propaganda online to get new recruits.
Others involved in the cell were Syrians, an Egyptian and a Kuwaiti. Four others have not been detained and are thought to be outside of Kuwait. The suspects still at large include two Australian-Lebanese nationals and two Syrian nationals.
It is said that the latest deal involved shoulder-fired missiles and telecommunications devices from a Ukrainian company.
Kuwait’s authorities said that the cell was discovered amid a crackdown on terrorism in the country; RT reported.
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